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Fall Practice 2006

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Two things from media day caught my attention.
First, Dick Tressel's comment that Beanie Wells was not going to push Antonio for number #1 running back status, although he would get his opportunities to contribute.
That's fine. That is what you would expect a coach to say where you have a very experienced senior (I stand corrected below, he is a junior) who finished 05 very strong. But, as I have posted before, I will be very disappointed if the coaches do not develop a two back set utilizing both Pittman and Chris Wells. To me, with a good OLine, such a combination should be lethal. Somehow I suspect something like that is in the works, and they would surely downplay it. But there is no way you can let the best RB recruit, with a sping practice under his belt, play second fiddle. That is not to say that Maurice Wells is not capable of contributing also. It is nice to have a wealth of backs going into the year.
Second, the move of Hoobler to DE is sure a puzzle to me, mainly because I have believed the recent month's speculations that we were loaded at DE already. Hoobler has been reported to be a very good player, so one has to wonder what prompted his shuffle to the new position. All is well that ends well, of course, but it is still a puzzle.
It is amazing how fit most of the players look in the pictures. That has not always been the case going into fall practice, as old timers will likely agree.
Go Bucks!
 
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RLC65 said:
Two things from media day caught my attention.
First, Dick Tressel's comment that Beanie Wells was not going to push Antonio for number #1 running back status, although he would get his opportunities to contribute.
That's fine. That is what you would expect a coach to say where you have a very experienced senior who finished 05 very strong. But, as I have posted before, I will be very disappointed if the coaches do not develop a two back set utilizing both Pittman and Chris Wells.

But there is no way you can let the best RB recruit, with a sping practice under his belt, play second fiddle.
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I disagree. I would be totallly comfortable with Pittman retaining the #1 running back status all year with CWells getting opportunities to contribute here and there for some experience. Regardless of the fact that CWells was the nation's #1 RB recruit, Pittman is a proven running back who had a phenomenal year for us last year. Not only would utilizing a two RB set potentially create problems b/c RBs generally perform better when they can get a feel for the flow of the game and not be worried about being taken out, but implementing such a set assumes that CWells has a handle both on running the ball at the college level, picking up the schemes, and learning to block. IMO, until he can prove that he is as good as or better than Pittman, Pittman should be our man.
 
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RLC65 said:
Second, the move of Hoobler to DE is sure a puzzle to me, mainly because I have believed the recent month's speculations that we were loaded at DE already. Hoobler has been reported to be a very good player, so one has to wonder what prompted his shuffle to the new position. All is well that ends well, of course, but it is still a puzzle.
It is amazing how fit most of the players look in the pictures. That has not always been the case going into fall practice, as old timers will likely agree.
Go Bucks!
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perhaps Hoobler's move to DE is more in the mold of the Leo position, which is a LB with his knuckles in the dirt at the LOS... it kind of lets you run a 3-3-5 (i don't think we ever really ran a true 3-4 last year), and allows for more diversity in the ways you attack an offense...
 
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Dispatch

8/12/06

OSU’s roster has 16 fifth-year players who are determined to go out with bang

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>FRED SQUILLANTE </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DISPATCH </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Receiver Roy Hall has been in the shadows of Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez the past two seasons. He went into camp as the No. 3 receiver behind Ginn and Gonzalez. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Acheck of the Ohio State preseason depth chart shows nine fifth-year players listed as starters, four more are listed as backups and another three are on the roster. The question is, will that longin-the-tooth bunch of veterans turn out to be imbedded gold for the Buckeyes?
People already know the intrinsic worth of quarterback Troy Smith, defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock, right guard T.J. Downing and center Doug Datish, who are among the returning starters.
But what about defensive end Jay Richardson, left guard Tim Schafer and split end Roy Hall, for starters, plus injury-plagued linebacker Mike D’Andrea — considered the No. 1 prospect in the recruiting class of 2002 — and safety Brandon Mitchell? Is this the year they step up and show their true worth?
"Obviously, if all of the fifth-year seniors go out and do their best, it would mean a great deal for this team," Mitchell said. "Coach (Jim) Tressel always talks about how we’re led by our seniors. So that will make the guys behind us want to do their best, and do their best for us, for the seniors.
"It can lead to a championship."
There are 16 fifth-year players in all. Five of them (Smith, Mitchell, Datish, starting fullback Stan White Jr. and reserve long snapper Harrison Till ) already have degrees. Twelve were members of the 2002 recruiting class, which also featured Bobby Carpenter, A.J. Hawk and Maurice Clarett and was ranked No. 2 in the country behind Texas’ class.
That’s why Tressel took a census of the fifth-year group and determined the potential for leadership abounds.
"They’ve all been here quite some time, and I am sure they have been rehearsing in their minds some of the things they believe and some of the things they’d like to do to serve the group, now that they’re leading," Tressel said. "That will be an emergent thing. That’s why we don’t vote for captains until well into the preseason. We’d like to see who emerges."
Some, such as Smith, Pitcock, Datish and Downing, are well established. And Smith and Justin Zwick give the Buckeyes two fifth-year quarterbacks who have both started, a luxury for any team.
Then there are some who simply want to be fifth-year wonders, such as Roy Hall, who is listed among the top three receivers on the team. And Richardson.
Richardson has exuded potential since his first day on the premises, and he has seen substantial playing time. But now he’s expected to start, which means he’s expected to put his full game together on a consistent basis and lead by example.
"I still have a lot to prove, I think, and I still have a lot of work I’ve got to do," said Richardson, who at 6 feet 6 and now a 10-pounds-heavier 285 compared with last year, looks the part. "I still have a lot of things I can show that I haven’t shown yet.
"I think that’s why, this being my last year, that I worked so hard this offseason."
It is, after all, now or never.
"You always hear how seniors all of a sudden get a lot more focused. (The past few years) I heard about it it, too, and I was like, whatever. But it’s true," Richardson said. "You look at it and it’s my last chance. And you want to go out there and give it your all, and you want to be there for your teammates, and you want to show people how good you really can be."
D’Andrea is the only one of them who saw substantial playing time on the 2002 national championship team. He gained a fifth year when a major knee injury in 2004 resulted in a medical redshirt season. Now he’s battling fellow fifth-year linebacker John Kerr, a transfer four years ago from Indiana, for playing time in the middle.
It is that sense of last-time desperate competition that should serve the team well, Mitchell said. Even if he is listed as the backup to sophomore Nick Patterson at safety, he said the fifth-year players all want to serve a role for the common good.
"I have been here for five years and I need something to tell my children about," Mitchell said. "And hopefully a national championship this year could be that thing."
[email protected]
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Saturday, August 12, 2006

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MarionStar

8/12/06


Offense strong, defense not for Buckeyes

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The 2006 Ohio State football team is going to be better than most of the other college teams across the nation.
I'm just not sure about it being the best one. But I don't really have another choice in what could be one of the most wide open college football seasons we've seen for a while.

So it could be Ohio State. It also could be Texas or Auburn or Notre Dame or probably a dozen other teams. It probably should not come as any surprise that my biggest concern for the Buckeyes is the defense, which has to replace nine of 11 starters, including NFL first-round picks A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Donte Whitner.


The only returning starters are senior defensive linemen Quinn Pitcock and David Patterson, although sophomore James Laurinaitis took over when Carpenter suffered a broken ankle early in the Michigan game.

Replacing all those defensive standouts should not cause too much problem when the Buckeyes open against Northern Illinois on Saturday, Sept. 2. But one week later they have to journey to Texas and even without Vince Young, the Longhorns are still a pretty formidable foe.

It also should not be a big shock that the Buckeyes will be hanging their helmets on the offense, led by senior Troy Smith and juniors Ted Ginn and Antonio Pittman.

After a slow start to the 2005 season, Smith was one of the better college quarterbacks in the country, just ask Michigan after the Wolverines watched him led OSU to a last-minute victory, in Big House no less. My feeling was Ted Ginn took awhile adjusting to all of last season's hype and should be in a better position to handle the pressure and Pittman showed what kind of running back he was by gaining 1,331 yards.

Even with the loss of center Nick Mangold, another first-round NFL draft selection, the offense will also benefit from an experienced line, led by seniors Doug Datish and T.J. Downing.

The Buckeyes' Big Ten schedule is favorable because they have Penn State (Sept. 23) and Michigan (Nov. 18) at home but an evening away from Ohio Stadium against Iowa on Sept. 30 could be a troublesome contest.

Hoping to not get too many splinters from the fence I'm sitting on, I see Ohio State no worse than 10-2 with 11-1, even 12-0 not out of the realm of possibility.

More Buckeye news

It has been a little more than a week since a Franklin County judge ruled in favor of former OSU basketball coach Jim O'Brien in his multimillion dollar suit over his dismissal for paying $6,000 to a possible recruit.

I don't agree with the decision the judge made because I believe that despite O'Brien's contention he knew Aleksandar Radojevic was not a viable recruit because he had played professional basketball in Europe, O'Brien had to know he was committing an NCAA violation.

The NCAA said as much when it made its final ruling at the end of its investigation.

On the other side of the coin, former Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger's quick-on-the-trigger firing also was not a very good move, and I thought that at the time.

Probably the best move would have been a suspension. O'Brien would have still received his salary but the overall amount would have been less.

However the silver lining to all this is current head coach Thad Matta, who more than likely would not be on the OSU sideline had O'Brien not been fired.

A final item

The Maurice Clarett situation is a sad state of affairs, but a long time ago I quit caring.
Bob Putman is a Marion Star sportswriter and a long-time fan of Ohio State sports, remembering back to the days of Jerry Lucas, John Havilcek and Jim Otis. He can be reached at 740-375-5157 or [email protected]

Originally published August 12, 2006
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I agree, I like the new jerseys now that I have seen them on the players. I always thought the white looked better, so Im pretty amped to see those on the boys. I still wished they would put a grey ring around the collar (for both home & away). Im flying in for the Texas week (Sept 4-12), FOR SURE Im gonna splurge $150 and pick up an authentic #7 - Im banking on Henton to sport the number proudly.


PS. Maybe if Amos shines, I can bust out the dusty ol' #13 again? :biggrin:
 
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The new jerseys look great. As far as two RB's go...they aren't like QB's. Splitting time with QB's almost never works because they have to get in a rythm with their offense and flip-flopping them messes them up. Using two good RB's has been proven to work in the past years with both White/Bush and Cadilliac/Brown. Pittman will get plenty of carries but when you have an obvious talent like Beanie and a good o-line, you have to give him plenty of opportunities. I would think Pittman get's around 65-70% of the carries and Beanie gets the next higest percentage, with MoWells getting some carries but mostly coming in as a 3rd down back. As far as gunned up...Hall, Rose, and Gholston are huge. Browning didn't look bad and Lawrence Wilson is looking big too.
 
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